James Tonkin
James Ebenezer Tonkin was an English-born Australian politician.
He was born in the West End of London to bedstead manufacturer James Tonkin and Jemima Stephens, and migrated to Melbourne in 1854. He was a goldminer at Ballarat, Bendigo, Mount Alexander and Ararat, and from 1856 to 1859 pursued business in Geelong. He followed the gold rush to New Zealand, but returned to Victoria in 1866, moving to New South Wales in 1868. During his time in New Zealand he married Mary Ann Smith, with whom he had twelve children. In 1870 he settled in the Bathurst district, becoming a contractor and hotelier. He was also a City of Bathurst councillor for 5 1/2 years from 1879. In 1887 he was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the Free Trade member for East Macquarie. He resigned in 1892 amidst insolvency proceedings but was re-elected to his seat at the resulting by-election. He shifted to the seat of Macquarie in 1894 but was defeated in 1895. He died at Glebe in 1906.
